Well... It's been a confusing few weeks for Landlords and agents with regards to the new electrical safety standards. There's now clear (and hopefully, final) guidance regarding the new regulations. In short an 'Electrical Installation Inspection' must be in place for:
Landlords are required to:
The good news is that, unlike gas safety certificates, these test are usually valid for a period of 5 years. Typically a test will cost between £125 - £150 and must be carried out by a "qualified person". If it's been quite some time since a test was last carried out at a property, it's usually to be expected that there will be some remedial work required to bring the property up to current standards.
You can read the full regulations here.
COVID is still well rooted in the UK, and therefore it's not just a case of simply heading back to the office and booking appointments.
Subject to any official announcements this looks like we will be able to work as 'normal' whilst observing social distancing measures.
Landlords must not grant or renew a tenancy after 1st April where the EPC rating is lower than an 'E'.
If the property you are buying is vacant you can continue with the transaction. If not you should work to agree an alternate date.